Innovation lab
Solving complex problems with simple code.
We don’t just buy tools; we build them. Ozean Labs is our internal R&D engine where we turn industry “friction” into streamlined digital solutions.
Why a Public Affairs Agency has a Lab.
In the world of political strategy and trade association advocacy, the biggest hurdle isn’t a lack of data; it’s the noise. Most tools/apps are either too bloated for local campaigns or too generic for state-level specialists.
We believe the best solutions come from the people who actually do the work. Ozean Labs was born out of our own need for better data, faster workflows, and cleaner lists. It is fueled by our desire to master new technologies and a healthy dose of curiosity.
We build ‘Micro-Apps’—highly specialized tools designed to do one thing exceptionally well. Some we publish. Some we keep internal. By experimenting, breaking things, and building from scratch, we stay ahead of the curve so our clients never fall behind.
(And yes, we have fun doing it.)
Ozean Lab Innovations
Sunshine Data
Navigating Florida’s political landscape requires more than intuition; it requires clean data, fast.
For years we used different internal R scripts to run the numbers for client proposals and to make detailed public affairs campaigns informed by data.
After a fellow consultant saw what we were doing and urged us to refine it, we transformed our internal client reporting engine into a public facing platform.
Sunshine Data helps trade associations and consultants track Florida’s moving pieces faster with surgical precision.
Simple Walk List
Most campaign software is over-engineered and overpriced. Simple Walk List is our “lean” solution for local candidates who need to get off the computer and onto the front porch. It’s the simplest way to run a ground game.
After using it internally, we found it solved a real problem for small campaigns, so we made it public.
Florida Live Local App
The Live Local Act created new housing incentives, but the eligibility calculations were buried in statute. Developers and land use attorneys needed to run the math quickly.
We coded the law into a decision engine. Input your project details and see if you qualify for tax and zoning breaks.
This taught us how to translate complex legislation into functional tools. It proved that policy doesn’t have to stay trapped in PDFs.
Florida Lobbying Network Explorer
Florida publishes lobbying records as delimited files. We wanted to see the relationships, not just the rows. We built this over a weekend using D3.js to visualize connections between firms, principals, and lobbyists.
The network graphs show who represents whom and how compensation flows through the system. We learned network visualization and database design.
The tool worked well enough that it is now integrated into the SunshineData.pro platform.
Stakeholder Mapping & Management Tool
Excel templates for stakeholder management break down when you need quick updates, clear visualization, or client ready outputs.
We built an internal tool that accepts minimal data to start and makes editing simple. Automatic scoring, inline updates, visual exports for presentations.
Testing with consultants taught us what actually gets used. We now have a tool the team reaches for regularly.
GIS Shapefile Downsizer
Detailed shapefiles crash browsers. We needed to shrink files without destroying map quality for web applications.
This tool converts bulky shapefile archives into optimized GeoJSON using the Douglas Peucker algorithm. Users pick their precision level and get an 80 to 90% smaller file that loads instantly.
We built it to learn geometry simplification algorithms. Now, we use it often in web maps.
Cassandra
Talking points appear on cable news only after days of propagating in fringe forums and comment sections. Cassandra monitors where narratives originate.
The system tracks extreme online communities in real time, classifying content by ideology and phrase velocity. It flags when conspiracy theories and coordinated messaging begin migrating toward mainstream discourse. It breaks down communication by silo.
It is built to catch the signal before it is whitewashed into “news”.
Additionally, the code was designed to be easily repurposed to monitor hyperlocal sources when clients move into new communities.
Survey Weighting Utility
For decades, weighting polls meant manual coding, constant checking, and paranoia about transposed numbers. Fat fingers cause real problems.
We built an R Shiny utility that generates weighting code automatically. Input your unique ID, select your variables, enter your targets. Code appears. Apply weights. Analyze.
This saves hours per project. We saw a problem, built the fix ourselves.
Political Strategy Simulations & Classroom Innovations
Electoral College Game
The path to 270 electoral votes is often taught as a series of static maps and historical footnotes.
We built this interactive contest to bring the strategic math of the Electoral College to life in the classroom.
By allowing students to become the head strategist for a Presidential Campaign, they are able to simulate various outcomes and weigh the impact of battleground states.
We turn a constitutional abstraction into a live strategy problem.
The primary challenge on this build was converting the shapefiles for mapping into SVGs that were small enough to be used in a light application.
Political Speech Bingo
How do you get college students to actually watch the State of the Union? Make it a game.
Political Speech BINGO is a mobile-friendly, responsive twist on the classic bingo card. Built in less than a day to answer one simple question: how do we get students tuned in to civic moments? The instructor is able to taylor the squares to an specific person making the speech with high, medium, and low probability events. Players mark off common speech moments or events (cue that inevitable standing ovation or “bipartisan effort”) right from their phones.
It’s light, engaging, and turns political watching into interactive fun. Perfect for classrooms, watch parties, or anyone who needs a reason to pay attention. Built to be easily repurposed & reusable. Could even be used for Classroom Bingo.
Pattonville: A Redistricting Game
The mechanics of redistricting are notoriously difficult to grasp without actually drawing the lines.
We designed this tool for the political science classroom to illustrate how shifting a single boundary can reshape political power.
Give students the pen and the tradeoffs become real. Move one line. Change the outcome. See who gains and who loses.
The primary challenge on this build was information density. Students must manage 20 distinct districts, requiring a constant stream of data for every block. We went through several iterations to “declutter the map,” ensuring the UI stays out of the way so students can focus on the impact of their boundaries rather than the complexity of the software.
We Coded the Law
When the Florida Legislature passes landmark bills like the Live Local Act, most firms write a memo.
By building fllivelocal.app, we proved that public policy doesn’t have to stay trapped in a PDF. We turned statutory language into a decision-engine. This experiment allowed developers to visualize the impact of new laws in real-time, proving that Ozean Media sits at the intersection of media, data, and public policy.
Alex Patton
Government Relations & Public Affairs Specialist
“Ozean Innovation Labs is one of my favorite parts of what we do. It’s where we get to be ‘mad scientists’ for the benefit of our clients and our own
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